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DENVER -- Peter Budaj made 39 saves, and Chris Stewart scored two goals in the Colorado Avalanche' 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

Milan Hejduk and Chris Durno also scored for the Avalanche.

Alex Auld made 29 saves, and Steve Ott scored for the Stars, who suffered just their third regulation loss in December.

With Colorado leading 2-1, Stewart gave Budaj some insurance when he scored his 10th goal on a 2-on-1 rush with 6:26 left, and he added an empty-net goal with 58 seconds remaining.

Durno gave Colorado the early lead with his first NHL goal 6:04 into the game. Durno took a pass from Matt Hendricks behind the Stars' net and he banked a shot off Auld's left leg into the net.

Colorado continued to pressure Dallas throughout the first period, putting 14 shots on Auld and creating several good scoring chances. The Stars' best chance to score in the first came late when James Neal's shot wide of the open net.

The Avalanche didn't have a shot on goal for the first 14 minutes of the second period and then cashed in on their second one of the frame. Matt Duchene sent a pass from behind the net to Hejduk, who was skating down the slot. The winger buried the puck for his 15th goal of the season with 5:56 left in the second.

Budaj, making only his seventh start of the season, kept Dallas off the boards with two big stops on defenceman Jeff Woywitka. The first came on a rebound late in the second and he made a glove save of Woywitka's shot on a Stars' 4-on-2 rush with 16:25 left in the third.

Dallas finally broke through with 12:16 left when Ott scored on a backhander, his fifth goal of the season. The Stars pulled Auld with 2:03 left but managed just one shot on goal with the extra skater.